Beatriz González, Exhibition, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid: 22 March-2 September 2018

Beatriz González (Bucaramanga, 1938) is a Colombian artist widely associated with the Pop Art movement. Drawing direct inspiration from the regional press and mass media, she appropriates and reinterprets stories and images of public figures in a bold, over-simplified style, (including one of Princess Anne of England with her skirt flying during an official visit!). She is best known for her brightly coloured, tongue-in-cheek paintings which have led to her association with the Pop Art movement, although she claims that the colours are more of an homage to the vibrant architecture of her hometown Bucaramanga than to Pop.

Her work explores and depicts the farcical nature of Colombian society. For example her iconic painting The Suicide of the Sisga was based on the story published in a local newspaper of a young couple who had jumped off the dam of the river Sisga in order to preserve the purity of their love. Through engaging in dialogue with these popular narratives, her work provides an accurate and satirical chronicle of recent Colombian history.

She has also helped to promote the idea of exhibition spaces as active partners which can communicate with the public, rather than mere passive spaces. This exhibition showcases over 150 of her works spanning across the entire 60 years of her artistic career, and encourages an open dialogue between the art and the viewer.

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

Palacio de Velázquez, Paseo Venezuela, 2, Madrid, 28001

Opening hours

Monday-Sunday

Summer hours (April-September), 10.00-22.00

1-30 October, 10.00-19.00

Winter hours (November-March), 10.00-18.00